


I really, really like you

by Walang_Tinta



Series: Makes your Heart go Doki Doki [3]
Category: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Not Beta Read, Summer Skins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 13:44:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21119780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Walang_Tinta/pseuds/Walang_Tinta
Summary: She.She was his everything. She was his world. But she doesn't know how much. A sad affair. How can he repay this slip of a girl that made him high with just the sight of her smile?Now if he can say those magic words.If only. The words mock him. The words were sealed in his mind. The words stung his skin as he holds her. The words want to fly to her ears. The words no longer want to be a secret. The words teeter on the cliff of his tongue. The words ready to take the plunge.Too bad he sucks at being honest.





	I really, really like you

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first fic for this fandom, and my first ship too. (I didn't ship yaoi in mlbb yet at the time) The last time I touched this was July since school started at the time.
> 
> When I first saw their skins, I fell in love, finally a buff macho Claude and Fanny looked so innocent in that skin, softer and more friendly.
> 
> You could not imagine then how much I smiled like an idiot when I first saw their splash arts. I was knees deep in this ship. Claude saved Fanny from drowning according to official MLBB page. I swooned. A couple skin with the pair interacting like that. I loved it.
> 
> Clanny is a safe ship. My anchor. Simple. Boy meets girl. A funny guy and a spunky girl. Familiar. Like if you have a friend who has a significant other and you hang with the both them sometimes, and you wish nothing but the best for them. Happy for them. Happy they found each other. Admiring their relationship from afar. And wished they'd last forever. This is what this ship is to me.
> 
> Since I'll be in hiatus for a while i decided to drop this, a few of my mutuals seen snippets of this and till now I don't how to end this. Maybe I'll come back to this someday.

The view is nice from up here. Very nice. He can stay here all day. Maybe take a rootbeer and play some reggae music at the back, just to bask in simple moments like these. 

It was 12:30 in the morning, miraculously the sun spared the beachgoers from the scorching heat and bathed them with warm sunlight instead. There on the horizon, you can see boats hopping from different islands, or some fishing boats that happen to drift by. The sea reflected the sky so well, it seemed everyone in the water was swimming with the clouds. 

The tide was low at this hour, so an ample amount of children clogged the shore and showed off their sandcastles, but most took a splash in the sea as their parents attended to them. It was a beach advertisement right in front of him.

That aside, Claude ignored all that when he spotted a certain blue haired beauty knee deep on the sea, along with her little protege.

"Miss Fanny! I did it! I did the butterfly stroke!"

"That's great Angela! Good job!"

A small smile crept on Claude's face, Fanny really loves this swimming instructor job. The odds of her making this a part time job every summer just got higher from the little girl's happiness. 

Angela was like his little sister too, besides that he keeps teasing her all the time. It's really a good thing Angela knows how to play along with his banters since she has two older brothers of her own. Also she always teases him back that when he wears his shades that he looks like Johnny Bravo (He could not live it down). However, the teasing has decreased dramatically after Alpha and Saber confronted him. it ended... cordially between them.

Fanny shook her hair from excess water, a shade more vibrant than the sea. The sunlight glistened on her damp hair and her expressive blue eyes squinted from staying too long in the water, emphasizing her thick lashes. Drops of seawater that clung to her skin gave her a lovely glow. Have her stay any longer on the sea he would've mistook her for a mermaid.

The yellow scrunchy on her hair, those oversized pink sunglasses, and the orange vest clashed with that fantasy immersion but the point still stands.

So his girlfriend didn't wear a bikini today it seems. He just happened to see three pairs of bikinis in her bag last night when she asked him to get her charger from it's front pocket, ah well, maybe another time.

Fanny's life vest may cover her alluring breasts, those poor things, so shy to be exposed to the bright sun, he has a nice peek of that cleavage at least. And her tiny athletic waist that her vest failed to cover, and his hands were itching to hold them. Claude can only imagine the beautiful view when Fanny discards that vest, sea water would be sticking her shirt to her torso like glue, drops of water would slide along the curves of her breast, especially when she breathes heavily after rising from the water from a short swim, and pearls of seawater would slide along the dip of her waist all the way to her long shapely legs...

"Just a little more, you'll learn how to swim before summer ends!" He heard Fanny's cheer, her enthusiasm is contagious and Claude couldn't help but grin.

Fanny's cheeks are blushing from the heat, she has a bright smile on her face as she continues to tend to Angela and... Oh no... she's waving those yellow toy swords for some reason. Damn it, his girlfriend is too cute without even trying, why is she acting like this in only in front of Angela? He's almost jealous, his poor heart. 

He felt something expand, something fluttering in chest as he stared fondly at her from a distance. This girl... she's really the one he...

He was too engrossed in his daydream that he almost failed to notice a ball heading towards him with a speed of a blazing comet.

"What the—" He immediately caught the beach ball, furious since for a split second since he thought it was a volleyball, and those things hurt. He frowned when he saw who threw the beach ball at him.

Clint, the resident asshole, as Claude dubbed him, and he happens to have a water gun in his hand. Claude just knows Clint will aim that thing on him when he's off guard. "You just started days ago, then you start slacking." Clint laughed good heartedly. Claude didn't take kindly to that.

"Hey..." Claude whined pitifully and he weakly threw the ball back at Clint, not in the mood for their usual banter on who is the best jerkass of the century. The assistant manager of the Moniyan resort simply swung his forearm to change the ball's trajectory and it landed few steps away from him on the sand.

"Claude." Clint badgered him in a singsong voice, but there's underlying edge to it that Claude couldn't ignore. "You're the lifeguard, you're supposed to look out for everyone." Then a cheeky smile. "Not just your girlfriend."

"Was I that obvious?" Clause tried to laugh it off, he scratched the back of his head, attempting to look innocent. Anyone who's known him for years would be right to assume the opposite of that.

"Hmm yeah." Clint looked back to the shore, the odds of someone drowning are so small due to the low tide. Also there's a line of floaters a few meters away on the sea to indicate where swimmers should not go to. This is just him following protocol lest Tigreal, the manager who shall not be crossed, would hang the both of them. "Maybe if I didn't throw that on your face someone could be drowning right now."

"Come on! Cut me some slack!" Claude groused, the normally jovial face contorted to an irate and tired one. It looked strange on him. " I've been working since last night since Alucard had to leave his shift!"

Guilt was slowly pooling in Clint's gut, Alucard had to leave work the night before since he had something urgent to do at home. Personal problems, he said, nothing more and he was tight lipped as the other staff members asked him more questions in concern. Considering even Tigreal allowed the impromptu leave, it must be serious.

"Hey! Take it easy!" Clint raised his hands to placate the blonde lifeguard. Seeing a man throwing a fit while sitting on a lifeguard chair was akin to an irate toddler throwing a temper tantrum on a booster seat. "We can ask Freya to replace you right now, okay?"

Claude grinned in relief, but frowned straight away. "Hey, what if she's busy? She's the one managing the kayaking booth yeah?"

"The new intern took over" Clint shrugged. He's already letting him off the hook, what gives?

"But--"

"Ah geez, you know what? _I'll_ take over." Clint sighed, he felt manipulated into filling in Claude's shift, but it's quite obvious Claude didn't want to disturb the others, excluding him. "Now get down from that chair."

"You're my fucking savior man." Claude guffawed, the relief on his face obvious, then he climbed from his seat. "I'll take back what I wrote about you in the employer survey."

Clint was flabbergasted. He was the one who offered Claude this job to begin with, then again that's what he gets for hiring a_ 'dear old friend'_ as an employee. "Can you repeat what you said just now?"

"I said I'll treat you to a cart of Mug rootbeers this friday." Claude smirked cooly as he wore his teal shades, that last action was unnecessary. It's apparent to Clint that Claude _does not care_ if he heard him right the first time.

"You prick." Clint chuckled wryly, now this is the Claude he knows. "You better not take back that one ya hear?"

"Well~" Claude grinned smugly as he retrieved his belongings and made a show by moonwalking towards his girlfriend.

"I'll just wait for you to forget about it!" Claude then dashed away, sand flying from his feet as he ran away from his bargain.

"Asshole..." Clint sighed, exasperated, he still kept that smile though. Bamboozled. He was.

He can see Claude slowing his pace as he got closer to Fanny. He's not moping anymore at least. 

"You better not make me regret this!"

* * *

"This ends our session for today." Fanny murmured between breaths, they made a lot of progress, Angela no longer sinks like dead weight in shallow water at the very least. They stood on the shore and went to their bags that was placed a safe distance from the waves. She took a drink from her mineral water and gave one to Angela as well. 

"But Miss Fanny..." Angela took a big gulp from the mineral bottle making it half empty. "I want to train some more.." The little girl pouted sadly and her drenched blue bow expressed her disappointment. Fanny could see the little girl's heart really wants to continue, but her exhausted body says otherwise. Those soft brown eyes however, almost made Fanny jump back to the water if not for her aching legs.

"Gellie, don't overwork yourself." Fanny was just as tired as Angela, her blue hair was plastered on her head and her yellow scrunchy barely holding on to her locks. "There's always tomorrow."

"But... Our class is gonna end this week and..." Angela blushed and looked down on the white sand sprinkled on her feet. She shyly kicked the sand away and it caused the skirt of her pink one-piece swimsuit to sashay slightly. "You're the only swimming teacher I like." She whispered meekly.

"Awww... Angela..." Something swooned inside Fanny's chest, Angela's too sweet. She knelt down and softly pinched Angela's cheeks, they really grew close during their classes. "It'll be fine, besides, there are other teachers out there—"

"But—"

"Wait I'm not finished." Fanny grinned and laid her hands on Angela's small shoulders and gave it a soft, encouraging squeeze. "Once you know how to swim, you'll be teaching others too. Wouldn't you like that?"

"Oh." Angela visibly perked up. "Okay, um, I'll practice whenever I can when summer ends!" Angela grinned, showing her pearly white teeth, her dimples emphasized from her cute smile. "I'll make you proud!" 

What did Fanny do to have this cutie pie as a student? 

Out of the blue, Angela eyes widened, her tiny mouth made an 'o' shape and she tried to control her giggles with her hands. Fanny was confused at the sudden change of expression.

"Wait, what are you--"

Then Fanny felt two very familiar hands covering her eyes. Firm, steady, but gentle. Instinctively, she covered it with her own. 

"Claude." Fanny sighed, thankful that her face was red from the heat and it hid her blush. 

"Geez I haven't even said 'Guess who' yet" Claude laughed. He tried to be casual, since they're in public, yet it didn't escape Fanny's notice on how slowly he let go of her, grazing his fingers along her cheeks and the fleeting sensation made her shiver. 

Fanny composed herself, she wasn't as snappy as she usually was when Claude acts like this to her out in the open. Almost as if he was waiting for her to get tired so she won't say _no_ to his advances. Cheeky bastard, her boyfriend. She doesn't mind Claude being like this only with her, honestly. She only wishes it wasn't done in public as much....

"So Angela." Claude greeted as he lazilly wrapped an arm around Fanny's waist. Claude didn't pull Fanny to himself as he was wont to do and it made Fanny yearn to feel him against her. She tried to stomp the feeling down, yet that's hard feat to accomplish when temptation itself is standing right next to you.

"You know how to float now at least?" Claude snickered. Angela's face reddened in embarrassment.

"Hey! I'm getting better everyday you know." Angela moped pitifully and Claude laughed. It was hard to tell if Claude was joking or being sincere, for Angela at least.

"Claude, be nice." Fanny sighed tiredly. Now after a few minutes away from the sea, drops of seawater and adrenaline was dripping from her body. In exchange. sluggishness slowly spread throughout her system and the slight sprain on her legs are getting more noticeable. 

"Looks like both of you are pretty tired." Claude murmured, he slowly pulled Fanny closer and had her leaning on his side, the blue haired woman instantly relaxed at his touch, even if she tried to resist it.

"Mr. Rooney is probably looking for you right now Angela." Claude with his free hand, pointed to the road that leads to Angela's cottage. "You should head back." 

Angela's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands in shock. Fanny smiled, adoring how expressive Angela can be.

"Oh no!" Angela checked her water proof wristwatch and gasped whilst covering her open mouth with a quivering palm. The lassitude in her body swiftly evaporated as she noted the time. 1:00 p.m. "I almost forgot! We're scheduled for island hopping today!"

She gave back the water bottle back to Fanny and frantically picked up her bag and ran towards her cottage. Her blue bow bouncing on her hair like bunny ears. "I hope I'm not too late!" She exclaimed to herself loudly, and like the polite girl she was she looked back and waved goodbye to the couple as she ran.

"Bye! See you tomorrow!"

"See ya!" Claude answered back. 

"Take care!" Fanny waved goodbye with a fond grin.

A tense silence settled in once Angela left them. As soon as Angela was out sight Fanny felt Claude's thumb massaging her hip in slow, feather like strokes. Fanny exhaled all her tiredness away and she covered his hand with her own to stop him. 

"Claude, you're gonna make me fall asleep here at this rate." Still, the heat his thumb left against her skin tingles her so. 

Claude didn't say anything and without a word hugged her from behind. Fanny was sorely tempted to fall into his arms and sleep the day away. He was so warm too...

Claude tucked his head in the junction of her neck, leaning down to hide his face against her hair. " You're not following your own advice Fan-Fan, go back to our cottage and rest..." His voice was husky, the crisp baritone as he whispered softly against her ear. His hot breath tickling the tiny hairs on her skin. Fanny groaned, how dare he tempt her like this in public, she'll melt like butter against him if he escalates any further...

She knows the effect he has on her and it drives her up the wall. Sometimes, it literally does end up with her pinned against the wall. He knows her too well, damn him.

Fanny turned around and Claude descended his hands along her waist as she did so. He has this smug smile on his face that annoyed Fanny a little, but those eyes.. Despite it being hidden under his shades give off a compelling aura she couldn't ignore.

"Claude..." Fanny whispered his name, so softly, almost in a trance. She finds herself sinking further in his allure.The summer heat making her feel hot and bothered, and Claude didn't even bother closing his vest properly and it exposed his lovely torso. Such a tease. Her inhibitions for being affectionate in public slowly unraveled as Claude stared at her with bedroom eyes. Instinctively, with her dainty fingers she carefully removed his sunglasses to see the blue eyes she loves so much.

Claude's eyes were glassy as he stared at her delicate form, and it didn't escape Fanny's notice that he's blatantly ogling her cleavage. Fanny licked her lips, almost overwhelmed to be the center of his attention. She wrapped her arms around his neck, slowly she stood on her tiptoes and lifted her head towards him. Claude's mouth was aiming for hers, but Fanny's cherry lips had a different destination in mind and it planted a long tender kiss on his nose.

"Wha..." Claude looked at her, dazed, he clearly wanted her lips somewhere else. 

"Not now but..." Fanny whispered, then slowly kissed his lips, it was soft and a bit dry from the heat but she paid no mind. Claude groaned and he held her closer, but before the innocent kiss would go any deeper, Fanny removed her lips and laid her head on his chest, finally descending from Cloud Nine as she felt the sand beneath her sandaled feet. The tingles remain on her lips, already missing the touch of his lips against her own.

"Later..." Her airy voice reverberated against his chest. Slyly, she kissed the junction between his pecs , he groaned lowly at that, and Fanny giggled against him. Kissing him made her heart soar. She inhaled his scent, despite the sweat she still smells the musk of his favorite body spray. She gripped his orange vest, her fingers itching to feel more of the sleek skin underneath. Her sanity refraining from touching exposed skin just yet or else she'll lose herself here.

She missed him, as corny as it sounds. Even with both of them being at the beach the entire week, so busy they are that they barely had anytime completely to themselves. 

"Tonight..." She paused, recalling Alucard's departure last night. "If you could..." Her voice light like gossamer and she buried herself deeper in his embrace. Claude sighed childishly, a sigh of a young boy rejected of his favorite toy. Claude gently laid his head on top of hers, a bit uncomfortable due to the pink sunglasses on her head.

"You go and kiss me like that and just leave me standing here. That's so mean Fan...." Claude whined, then he saw her yellow scrunchy at the edge of her hair and took it away. At that moment Fanny felt him loosening his embrace, and his hands trailing to her hips. She leaned back and looked at him, her eyes laced with concern when she remembered Claude's work hours due to Alucard's leave.

"Claude, how are you?" Claude quirked a brow in confusion. Fanny continued. "I mean... you didn't come back to our cottage last night, it made me worry. Did you even rest? You're not gonna work overtime again are you?" 

Claude smiled at her concern. Despite her brash attitude at first glance, when Fanny truly cares about you, It really shows. "Nah it's fine, Clint handled it." Then Claude spread his arms, offering himself to her. Her yellow scrunchy finding a new home on his wrist. "I'm all yours tonight my lady."

"Dumbass." She snorted, but amused at his banter. She poked the middle of his chest just enough to push him a bit."You're the one who's supposed to rest." She cupped his cheek and Claude cradled his jaw against her soft palm. "Did you even sleep last night? Be honest with me."

"You worry too much Fan." He shrugged off her worries. Fanny could tell he's trying to repress a yawn, but ignored it and didn't bother pointing it out. If she 's stubborn, then Claude is ten times more stubborn than her. She'll lock him in the cottage so he can go to sleep if she has to. 

Never mind the images that formed in her head from that empty threat. 

Meanwhile the breeze was picking up, bringing with it the scent from the numerous restaurants in the resort. The couple inhaled the savory smells of the food being cooked and their hunger quickly overtook the sexual tension in the air. 

"Wanna eat lunch first?" Claude suggested. "I guess we're both free today." 

"Lunch sounds good." Fanny smiled and reluctantly freed herself from Claude's embrace as she turned her head to where the Food Park is. "Where do you want to eat?" 

"Dunno, I wanna try Hayabusa's first, but Granger's performing at Franco's Pub later..." 

Ah, well, guess no date then. Fanny internally shrugged, but it's fine. Both of them aren't in the mood for privacy just yet since they want to see their friends first after long hours of work. 

And just as she promised Claude...Tonight...

To be frank, she hasn't seen any of Granger's performance in person since it always clashed with her schedule. Granger doesn't really work there exactly, Franco's pub has instruments on its center stage and the guests are free to perform there if they wish to. It just so happens many of the customers keep urging Granger, also a customer, to perform there every night the moment he started playing a guitar there out of boredom. That's what she heard Claude say at least.

"I think I'm gonna pick up Dexter. He's been in the cottage all day." Claude said to himself and reached for his bag. He looked back at Fanny and she wordlessly handed him his sunglasses and her things. Fanny then slowly unbuttoned her life vest and smiled slyly when she felt the weight of Claude's eyes on her moist skin. A really impatient man, her boyfriend.

Claude gulped and silently took her life vest and proceeded to deflate the vest to place it in her bag. "Fan, Haya's or Franco's?" 

"Haya's, I think Granger's tired of the scenery at Franco's anyways. I'll pick him up first, I'll call you when we're at Haya's okay? Bye!" Fanny smiled sweetly at him then began to walk towards the food park. She ignored the tiny bursts of sprains on her calves as she took every step.

There was a look of longing on Claude's face that she didn't see.

"Fan wait." Claude then licked his lips, he placed his hands on his hips and slightly looked down on the sand. Fanny can feel it in the air, Claude's bravado slowly dissipating the longer he stood still. Of course, her concern spiked at that behaviour, it's so unlike him.

Though that doesn't mean he acted like this for the past few days. it's slowly becoming a regular occurence. It was troubling. How much did he change in such a short time? Her heart ached for him. 

"Claude?" Fanny whispered, she turned around, the concern in her voice obvious. "Is there something wrong?" A line she asked him too many times. A line with he replied with too many vague answers.

Claude looked up and shook his head, instantly adorning that confident smile on his face, as expected. He raised his hands to placate her. "Nah it's nothing Fan. It's fine. Never mind."

Fanny let it slide, for now, they can talk about this later. He's been acting like this since last week, she tried to give him leeway when he insisted he was fine – but she couldn't tolerate it anymore. Hopefully she doesn't have to force it out of him once they're really alone.

"Okay if you say so." She tried to grin, hoping to make him feel better, then before turning back to the direction of the Food Park she called him one last time. "I'll wait for you okay?"

The moment Fanny turned around and left Claude alone on the shore, she failed to see the happy grin on his face slowly morph to a bitter smile. 

"I made you wait for too long..." Claude whispered earnestly, his small voice didn't reach her in time.

* * *

"You sure you don't wanna work here kid?" Franco inquired Granger, who was currently tuning a guitar. "The crowd really loves ya and I haven't had these many customers since you came!"

Franco was a jovial one, Granger concluded, the days that he '_worked_' here, he got to know the Head Chef and owner of this "Franco's Pub". A simple name for a humble restaurant. Granger however thinks its a misnomer and should be named as "Franco's Tavern" instead – Everywhere from the decorations, the cuisine, and even the staff uniform, was all Viking themed or Scandinavian at best. It's a miracle that the instruments were spared of this treatment. Not that he minds foreign instruments, but he had to admit that Franco went too bombastic with the place.

Franco treats his staff like family, even with regular patrons too, who return here every summer to have a taste of his cuisine once again. Granger admired their patronage. He also earned a little fan club among them, or so Franco claims.

At the moment they're on the stage. A modest one, having the essential instruments for small band. It faces the entrance of the pub, so people from outside can see who's playing. Also the reason why sometimes the entrance was cramped since they wanted to see him play. 

Slowly customers are pouring in since the pub opened an hour ago, and the heat on the beach is starting to get intense. 

Franco greeted patrons like long time friends as they entered the pub, waving his hand in greeting as he still stood on the humble stage. Other customers especially cheered Granger's name when they saw him on stage. Granger plainly greeted them with a nod. He's not one for small talk, especially towards people he barely knows.

"See what I mean kid?" Franco chuckled, proof already in front of them, yet Granger was still skeptical. 

The musician simply smiled at Franco's attempts to convince him to work for him, no help there. He can persuade him all he wants but he won't change his mind. He'll last till Sunday since that's when his booking ends. He thanked Claude for offering him to stay in the resort for a while, the stress was getting to him.That aside, he strummed his guitar, testing if the notes played properly. "I'm sorry but I'm not really interested, I'm doing this to pass the time."

"Haha! It's not just about being my employee kid!" Franco interjected with a booming laugh then patted Granger's shoulder. Granger flinched a bit from the contact, he's thankful Franco didn't notice. Well, this isn't what he expected. "You got some talent there, it'd be a waste not to show it to the world!"

Granger fought the urge to frown, lines like that evoke bitter memories he'd rather forget. The reason why he booked here to begin with. Maybe he's not over it as he thought he was. He looked away from Franco as he adjusted the amplifiers to ready the guitar. "I'll pass on that." 

And that was that.

"Shy one aren't ya?" Franco teased, obviously he misunderstood, but Granger let it be, he doesn't need to know. "You'll change your mind." Franco exclaimed, he winked at him and gave him an easy nod. With so much confidence placed on him, Granger didn't want to extinguish it and simply nodded in reply.

"Hey Granger! Mr. Franco!"

Both of them looked at the direction of the spunky female voice and saw blue beauty approaching them.

"Fanny." Granger was startled. He didn't expect to see her at this time, but not unwelcome. "It's been a while." Granger nodded at her, it has been a few days since they saw each other last. 

"That's not how you greet an old friend right?" Fanny grinned at him, then glanced at the rotund Franco who gave her a fatherly smile.

"Well this is a face I haven't seen in a while! You finally entered this part of the resort."

"Hey it's too far from the beach, besides I love all the restaurants here, don't feel left out Mr. Franco." Fanny interjected playfully, the spunky smile turning to a sweet one as she talked to the chef.

Granger stared at her, still surprised at how gentle she became after she and Claude became a thing. That attitude is usually reserved exclusively for people she really knows. Anybody who she grew up with in their hometown of Moniyan, and that includes him and Alucard. Now she carelessly shows off her pleasant side even to acquaintances. He should be accustomed to it by now, but it's still a sight to see. Claude is nothing short of a miracle worker.

"Granger. You free yet?" Fanny inquired, her eyes curious. Granger looked at the song list placed on the music stand, he visibly cringed at the choice of pop songs and dreaded to sing them. 

"No but–" Granger was about to answer but Franco interrupted him.

"Hey you're not really working here kid, even if I want to!" Franco chortled, he tilted his head back. "But just one song for the customers, then you can spend time with your lady friend." 

The customers cheered, some even joking that they're on a date, some of the women in the crowd weren't pleased but kept quiet. However, majority of the staff know that the Lifeguard and Swimming Instructor had been an item for a long time now.

The musician shrugged. "Alright." The crowd was merciful today, usually he'd end up singing for more than an hour. He turned to Fanny. "Can you wait a while? We have to set up the stage first "

"No problem." Fanny looked around to find a seat, most of the tables are occupied and thankfully a waiter approached her and offered her a seat near the stage.

Franco approached the microphone stand. "Alright ladies and gents! Our singer will only do one song today, even superstars need a rest!" He laughed and it was so contagious that it caused the audience to laugh at the blatant dad joke.

Granger groaned in disdain, already considering a resignation. Franco's too much sometimes. 

* * *

The moment Claude closed the door to their cottage he immediately dumped the scene earlier to the trash can in his head. That... that attempt was horrible..

He placed his and Fanny's belongings on the desk just beside the door, when he looked up he laughed when he saw Dexter. 

"Fan spoiled you rotten didn't she, Dexter?"

Dexter should be with him on his Lifeguard duty as the monkey did the past few days, but Dexter couldn't tolerate the children there prodding him any longer. And that Claude confiscated Dexter's air horn, the monkey was too trigger happy with it.

But right now, Dexter was having the time of his life, a variety of tropical fruits lined up in front of him and he relished every single one. Like a king, Dexter sat on the lounge chair like its a throne and it's just at the right spot where the air conditioner was aimed at. Claude however only saw the colorful mess of peeled fruit rinds scattered across the room like organic confetti. 

"Geez, you know Fanny's gonna be ballistic when she sees this mess." Claude sighed as he started to pick up some of the mess up. "Come on, help me out here."

Despite Tigreal's misgivings and many, _many_ hours of interrogation. Claude and Fanny do share a cottage. It had a nautical theme, Fanny was amused since it seems the interior designer overdid it, that it made the room looked like a tiny boat museum. Despite the theme, the cottage was nothing to laugh at, having its own swimming pool at the back, a jacuzzi right beside it, a billiard table on the other side, a barbecue grill, free wi-fi, and even a mini golf course of all things. This was honestly too much for two people, but of course, Tigreal would only offer the best amenities for his little sister.

Their cottage is nearer to the shore compared to the others that are closer to the resort entrance and other attractions. The couple didn't mind, since most of their day to day work involves the sea anyway.

Claude's heart sped up in anticipation when he saw the time on his watch, two in the afternoon. Strange, that his Fan-Fan hasn't called him yet, he is getting kinda hungry and the untouched fruits on the basket aren't helping.

Now however, he regrets letting her pick up Granger. He could do it on his own, and have her rest here for a bit. Unlike him who was sitting on that chair all day, Fanny had been swimming with Angela all morning, and the days before too. Claude can only imagine how tired her body was. Damn, in hindsight he should've just ordered a take out meal so she can rest and eat in the cottage at the same time.

Usually at this hour she would sluggishly waltz in the room and head straight to bed and sleep like a log for the entire day. After taking a short bath of course.

And if ever Claude hogged the bedspace when she arrives, she'll just lie on top of him, too tired to wake him up so he could scooch over... But the sneaky bastard would pretend to be asleep, and be rewarded with the feeling of her clothed breasts grazing his bare back, her smooth legs along his own, her cool breath blowing on his neck...

Before his fantasy can go to indecent places, a ringtone from his bag stopped it in its tracks before it can venture the tempting scenery. He immediately answered it.

_"Babe?"_ Fanny called, her voice is muffled from the phone speaker. Judging from the background noises Claude can tell she's at a restaurant or a bar somewhere. And he heard another familiar voice singing solemnly along with a somber tune of a guitar, definitely Granger.

"Fan, you still there at Franco's? I don't know what time Haya closes."

_"Yeah, had to let Granger finish his gig first."_ Fanny paused, then Claude heard the crowd's applause, followed by Fanny snickering_. "It's cute, people stopped eating their food when he's on the stage."_

"Yeah he has that effect on people." Claude nodded in agreement, and tried to subdue his petty jealousy. Granger is the person he'd _least_ expect to have a thing for his girl. "By the way you want me to get something while I'm in here?"

_"My shawl would be nice. It's in my other bag, the yellow one, get it for me please? My scrunchy too, thief."_ She giggled at their inside joke, and Claude felt his corners of his mouth rising to a smile and he snickered softly._ "Oh and just head straight to Haya's. We'll meet there."_

"Sure." Claude answered, then prepared himself...

_"Okay, I love you, bye."_ Fanny told him. Claude knows she's smiling as she says those words. She always says it before hanging up the call. She says it whenever she feels like it. Unlike before in the first stages of their relationship she always stutters and shies away from any signs of affection from him. Now, look at how the tables are turned between them, those three words from her cherry lips made him weak in the knees.

He felt his heart skip a beat, knocking against his chest, and the inevitable blush emerged on his cheeks. Funny how with such simple words she has this effect on him. No matter how much she says it to him...

His mouth was itching to say something, his lips awkwardly forming the words, but he dare not utter a sound. You know, those words you would say to your significant other before hanging up.

'Okay, I love you too, bye.' 

"Okay I'll meet you there later, bye." Claude muttered in one breath, then ended the phone call before hearing Fanny say anything in reply. He tried to exhale all the embarrassment away and leant against the wall, his doubts slowly dragging him down till he squatted on the floor.

Ah... so stupid... A year since they've been together and he still couldn't say it. Those words tried to crawl their way out of his throat, chained themselves to his tongue, but always remained unspoken to this very, very special person who needed to hear it the most. If he couldn't say in a casual conversation, then...

Ah, he remembers his slip up earlier too... beyond stupid..

He felt the heavy weight of Dexter's disappointed stare, the monkey sat crossed legged on the lounge chair, his black eyes piercing him. Claude tsked, irritated, his head tipping back on his neck to look at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, not wanting to deal with this right now — with Dexter no less.

"Not now, Dexter."

A disappointed chirp.

"I know that! I am going to say it to her!"

A doubtful snort.

"I'm trying!" He sighed despondently. He took off his shades and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, his vulnerable eyes exposed to judgement. "I really am..." 

He couldn't understand it either, he can say "I" ,"Love", and "You" separately — but he can't say those words in order to her. Not all at once. It leaves him with his tongue tangled with garbled words and so many awkward conversations with her that it made him almost gave up on saying it. Actions count more than words ever could right? 

That's no excuse to say those words to her, he knows that much, she deserves to hear it from him, after all they've been through together. It'd be a crime to leave her in the dark. 

He exhaled to relax himself, he swiped his phone, decided to play with the lock screen to distract himself. He's aware he's making it more complicated than it is. Three measly words. Three syllables. It takes one second to say it. Why can't he say it out loud? Even imagining himself saying it to her makes him nervous. Why does it have to be so hard? 

How pathetic can he be?

He uttered a curse, infuriated with himself. He looked at the floor silently, made a steeple with his hands as he was mulling things over. Thinking about it, this whole predicament was ridiculous, this whole thing, all of it, it was so childish in nature that he's ashamed of himself at times.

Come to think of it, what does Fanny think of him acting like a socially inept person to his own girlfriend? Trying to say "I love you" like a madman? That phrase must be his kryptonite. He's fearing now that she might have misunderstood the whole thing. Bless her heart for being patient with him these past few days, despite the uncertainty and confusion in her eyes.

Claude absentmindedly looked at the time on his lockscreen. It was 2:15 P.M. They had to go.

Ah man, he almost didn't notice his lockscreen wallpaper, Fanny in her fishing gear holding a trout she caught, with Dexter standing on her shoulders since he helped her catch the slippery fish. She looked so cute in that outfit.

He's distracting himself again.

"Come on Dexter, Fan and Granger's waiting for us." Claude exclaimed. He scratched the back of his head, wondering how to solve this absurd predicament.

Dexter cheered and jumped down from the chair. Any longer he'll have cottage fever. He took his red cap that was placed on the table and put it on. Claude stood up and wore his shades again. He searched for the shawl Fanny asked him to get and retrieved it, then draping it on his left shoulder. They headed for the doorway, that is until Claude was halfway from opening the door as he looked at the state of the room.

"Dexter~" Claude teased, there was this cheeky grin on his face that Dexter just knows that it reeks of mischief. The sullen look on his face was erased, just like that. "You are going to clean your mess when we come back here. You don't wanna make Fanny mad don't you?" Claude continued with a sly smirk on face and it irritated Dexter to his wit's end.

Dexter narrowed his eyes, but whined in defeat. Claude had a good point about the mess, no point in rebelling that. And he didn't like making Fanny mad, not one bit. The punishment of having no soothing massages on his head for a week is scary enough. Or worse, being ignored no matter how much he tried to get her attention.

He soundlessly climbed up to his spot on Claude's right shoulder, just looking at his partner now, as he known him for many years, it's obvious this human mating ritual of saying "I love you" is grating Claude, even if he hides it under that trickster facade.

Dexter wanted to help, it's disheartening to see Claude in distress, but Claude insisted on doing this on his own. Hearing that from Claude hurt him, this is the first time in a long while they didn't work together to solve a problem. Granted, it's been days since he claimed that and no progress was made at all. Claude had nothing to show for it, Dexter fumed.

Claude's an idiot. Dexter concluded with absolute certainty.

Unbeknownst to Dexter, Claude's thinking the same thing. Only ten times worse. 

**Author's Note:**

> GIVE ME CLAUNNY
> 
> Also give me ideas how to end this, either here or at IG tysm.


End file.
